Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

Energy

Federal tanker regulations win support from industry, criticism from environmentalists

Vessels used in response to a hazardous spill sit on the waters of Vancouver harbour as the federal government announces changes to improve oil tanker safety in Vancouver.

Photograph by: DARRYL DYCK
, THE CANADIAN PRESS

The federal government’s new oil spill prevention regime received strong support from the B.C. marine shipping sector Monday for taking what the industry considers to be best practices and formalizing them in legislation.

“We as a marine industry are obviously very conscious that we have to do the right thing to provide Canadians with confidence that everything that can be done is being done to ensure the safety in the movement of tankers,” said Capt. Stephen Brown, president of the Chamber of Shipping of British Columbia.

The program announced by the government will allow the industry to examine its own practices and benchmark them against other best practices around the world, Brown said.

Brown said the shipping sector considers that it has developed best practices already, but that the ability to have those practices benchmarked and reviewed will likely result in further improvements.

“We have every confidence in what we are doing today but we are obviously aware that there may be things that we can do better.”

He said tankers are already vetted by oil companies through an international inspection database before they are hired. Transport Canada also inspects tankers on their first visit and then targets tankers making subsequent visits for inspection. The new regulation will require first visit inspections and then annual inspections after that. Vancouver has 14 inspectors now and Brown said he believes they will be able to carry out the additional work.

Putting current practices into legislation, he said, should increase public confidence in oil shipments.

However, critics of oil shipments said the new federal regime will likely make no difference in already-formed public opinions around tankers on the B.C. coast.

Having more eyes on the tankers will be better, acknowledged Ben West, campaigns director for ForestEthics Advocacy. But he said he believes the government’s announcement was aimed at swaying minds rather than making real changes.

“We have heard this rhetoric before about world-class standards,” he said. “I think a lot of people would be surprised to know that we don’t have world-class standards now.”

The Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, whose community is across Burrard Inlet from Kinder Morgan’s Westridge oil export terminal, also criticized the federal announcement.

“Ultimately the best way to safeguard Canada’s seas and skies is to say ‘No’ to new pipelines,” Tsleil-Waututh councillor Carleen Thomas said in a news release. “It’s time for the Harper government to stop talking about pipelines to the West Coast like they are inevitable and start listening to what the people of B.C. are saying. British Columbians do not want new pipelines and increased tanker traffic on our coast.”

Enbridge, whose Northern Gateway pipeline project to Kitimat is currently before Joint Review Panel hearings at Prince Rupert, said the federal proposals go one step further in balancing environmental protection with economic growth. Enbridge has its own stable of world-class experts on marine safety testifying at that hearing.

“We fully support the announcement,” said Ivan Giesbrecht, Enbridge’s communications manager for Vancouver. “Ongoing protection of B.C.’s unique and diverse coastline is something that Northern Gateway supports, Enbridge wants, the federal government wants, Canadians want, and, of course, British Columbians want. This is something that I think we can all agree upon.”

Travis Davies of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said Canada is an exporting nation and the new federal program will help in providing a social licence in which producers can operate.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.